Marshmellow Fiasco

Not so happy in the snow! :(

We have been casually trying to put Lucas on his potty since ten months old. He has been very good about going #1 and #2 before his bath at night. We use cloth diapers and I am just about getting to the point where I can't use them anymore...it is just way too disgusting when he goes #2, if you know what I mean. So last week I thought, let's try and get him to go periodically throughout the day.

Filthy clothes after lunch prompted me to take off his pants and let him run around...But, he has figured out how to take his diaper off, which he proceeded to do. Then not ten seconds later, he starts squatting on our carpet and making that, "Poopy face" Oh man, so I ran him upstairs to his potty and waited and waited and waited...trying to be extra patient because the day before I wasn't patient enough and as soon as I put on his diaper...he pooped. So I am still waiting and while waiting some more, I think...what if we try marshmallows, you know, like a reward system for sitting on his potty.

So I run the little guy downstairs, still naked with his potty and grab a fresh bag of marshmallows. I open them and set them on the bathroom counter and as he sits on his potty he gets a marshmallow. We did this for about two minutes and then I gave up...mostly because Lucas had figured out how to stand and sit and every time he sat back down he got a marshmallow...it wasn't working. I was overloading my kid with pure sugar.

So we ran the naked guy back upstairs and got dressed. We came back downstairs and our gas fireplace was out, so I thought I should call the gas company. I was going through the stupid automated thing on the phone and stopped for a moment to realize...the house was silent. What and where are Dodge and Lucas. Good things don't happen when the house is super quiet.

I go into the bathroom and to my surprise, Lucas is sitting in the corner of the bathroom shoving marshmallows in his mouth. He has managed to pull and empty the brand new bag of marshmallows on the floor and Dodge is sucking them up like a vacuum cleaner. Lucas has marshmallow goo dripping down his face and probably has shoved at least 12 little marshmallows in his mouth. He is looking at me with chipmunk cheeks, trying to close his mouth but it is so full he has a little opening between his lips and he is using his hands to shove it all in. He gives me this guilty pleasure look and I seriously can't help but just laugh.

Meanwhile, I am still on the phone with the gas company. I am trying to throw all of the marshmallows from the floor away in the garbage can and I am trying to get Lucas and Dodge out of the bathroom and back into the living room. Lucas turns around and starts trying to pick out the marshmallows from the garbage can! Ughhh man. I am so bummed that I didn't get a picture of those two in the bathroom.

Lucas' Dedication and Casey's Baptism

October 3, 2010Today was a very special day for our family. Casey was baptised as a Christian and together we dedicated our Son, Lucas. It was a very small ceremony with just our immediate families, but very meaningful. Our very good friend, Pastor Greg Asimakoupoulos, did the ceremony for us at Mercer Island Covenant Church.

The Bible verse for Casey was from Romans 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Lucas' Bible Verse was from Matthew 19:14: Jesus said, "Let the little Children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Having a child sure helps you get a glimpse of the unconditional love that God has for his children. Lucas is everything to Casey and I and that instant love that we felt when we first laid eyes on him is just a fraction of the love that God has for us!

Lunch with Daddy at Work

September 30th

Lucas begged me to go and visit Daddy for lunch so we headed to Redmond and had lunch with Casey. He was so excited to see Casey when he came down from his office. Thanks for lunch, Daddy!

Laughing and Tantrums

Casey and I didn't realize that tantrums would start so early. I guess I just always thought of tantrums during the "terrible two's". But Lucas has started a few tantrums and boy they can be exhausting. Casey and I have tried really hard to just ignore them. We allow him to have his tantrum and we just ask him to let us know when he is done. We go on with whatever we are doing so that we don't give him any attention. But we try not to take his happy moments for-granted. And they help us forget the few times he gets frustrated and mad.

September 29th

Lucas is fully walking. He can almost stand up from a sitting position without having to pull himself up, but not quite yet. Last week I set him down by his toys and walked into the kitchen and I turned around and he was standing right behind me...scared the begeezee's out of me. I had no idea he would be right there. It has been so fun though. We walk to go see the ducks across the street at our lake and I love holding his hand and walking with him! I love how he finds interest and fascination in the smallest things, like a dandelion or a rock, or a sprinkler head. He gets focused on these little things and just takes a 180 degree turn to go check them out, for ten minutes! Casey can't wait to be able to walk around the block with Lucas and Dodge!

11 Months Old

Bob's Corn Maze, 9.26.10It was a gorgeous Fall day last weekend, so we decided to go and check out Bob's Corn Maze in Snohomish. It was pretty fun, but we were not prepared for the mud ;) oops. You'd think we would know that there would be mud in a pumpkin patch located in a valley, but no. And the Snohomish joke going around that the "pumpkins are going green this year" is not a joke. It was surprising if we found an orange pumpkin.

I am pretty sure the tractor ride terrified Lucas. Poor tractor wouldn't go into gear to start going and jolted us backwards and forwards with a very large noise. Let's just say the ride wasn't as fun as we thought it would be.

But the rest of the trip was fun and they had delicious roasted corn on the cob.

Wally and Donna's Wedding Anniversary

September 19th was my parents wedding anniversary of 29 years! They stayed at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland and Lucas thought it would be fun to surprise them and go have lunch together. It was a gorgeous day to be on Lake Washington. We had lunch on the water and then walked on the dock to see the boats and the airplanes and the dogs and ducks! What a fun afternoon. Happy Anniversary!

Sick Little Lucas

Okay, so as first time parents, we get to experience all of the "firsts" the good, the bad, and the ugly. I jinxed myself because the other day I was telling Casey, "Lucas is almost a year and he has not been sick once." Well, as soon as I said it, we both knew that he would get sick.

Sure enough, a week later, he started having a runny nose on Tuesday. Wednesday, he started sounding a little more raspy, but more of the same runny nose, and I happened to schedule a doctor's appointment for him just in case for Thursday. Well, Thursday morning at 3am, I hear this little tiny noise coming from his room. I went into check on him and he has this little tiny raspy cough. New Moms, you can totally relate to what I am about to say, Mom's who have, been around the block, let's say and have grown kids, may remember. And Ladies who are not Mom's yet, but will be someday, will experience this same feeling.

Hearing your child cough for the first time is the most heartbreaking, helpless feeling, EVER! There is absolutely nothing you can do for them and yet, you know they are not feeling well. I wish more than anything there was some magic potion that would make them feel better, Oh wait, I know, it's keeping my mouth shut and not jinxing the poor kid. It sure sucks having a sick baby.

My Sweet Little Piano Player

Music to My Ears: I think he looks really good at the Piano, what do you think, Casey?

A New Way to Tan

Carrot Tanning Lotion: It has been a little too warm for Lucas to go outside and lay in the sun, so he invented a new way to tan. He wipes his carrots all over his face and hair and tummy and hopes that when we are done he will have a beautiful orangeish glow. :) Wow, how long does this phase last. Good thing the weather is supposed to cool down...we can go back outside and tan the right way.

We Missed You Aunt Erin

Uncle James got to meet Lucas! He was even able to come to Lucas' swim lesson. We are hoping that James and Erin get to come over to Seattle in October to hang out with us! Lucas has been asking for Erin to come and play with him! :) We miss you both and can't wait to hang out with you in a couple of months. It has been way too long since we got stuck in the snow outside of our house in the back alley and James and Casey had to push us out. Probably shouldn't be driving a Honda Accord in two feet of snow! We had a lot of fun with you! :) We can't wait to see you again!

Our Little Mover at 9 1/2 Months

Crawling:

Climbing the Stairs:

Walking:

Everything happened so fast. I used to go to play groups with other babies his age and they would be rolling around, crawling, scooting, cruising...and Lucas always just sat in one spot and never really moved. He figured out how to crawl around July 19th and he took his first steps on August 11th. He is getting more and more confident and I would imagine that he will be walking on his own in a few short weeks.

Buns

Avery and Lucas: Can you guess which buns belong with which baby?

Nate Face

The Little Things

This is one of my favorite video's of Lucas. The door stopper has been one of those fixations he has had while he has been crawling around in wonder. This particular day, his fascination with the sound and movement of this door stopper had us both giggling!

We've Got a Crawler

7.19.10: First Crawl

If you would have asked me two weeks ago, I would have said, "Lucas probably won't crawl" Well, I was wrong. Here is the very first day he took one move forward. And, at the same time, he can go from lying on his belly to a sitting position. He is also pulling himself up to a stand all by himself. I went to check on him in the crib this afternoon and I totally expected to find him lying down on his back but when I walked into his room, he was standing up holding on to the rail of his crib starring at me with a big grin. :) And a whole new phase of mobility begins! I hope I have the energy to keep up with my little man! :)

Lake Roosevelt

7.16.10-7.19.10: First Vacation for Lucas

We drove to Lake Roosevelt to stay with Aunt Carol and Uncle Mick at their cabin. We prepared for our first road trip with the little guy. What normally takes 41/2 hours took us almost 61/2, but he did pretty good for his first long car ride.

We got to go on their new Pontoon boat, which was awesome. Janet and Mike came over from Spokane on Saturday and James stayed the entire weekend to help Mick.

On Sunday, we took the boat out for a long ride up the Spokane River searching for a sandy beach but they were all occupied. So we came back to the Anderson beach and played in the water for a while. Casey and Lucas played in the water had a blast together.

Our drive home was awesome. He had two naps and we only had to stop once in Wenatchee for a little break. We had a picnic at a park by the river and let Lucas move around a bit. He showed us the first signs of crawling at the park. :)

What a wonderful vacation! Thanks Carol and Mick.

Mom and Dad-Pure Entertainment

8 Months Old

June 26, 2010

Lucas is already eight months old and I am so sad how fast the time is going. He just started waving "bye-bye" on demand this morning. He is trying so hard to pull himself up into a stand. He is not crawling yet, but could be soon...he seems more interested in standing and walking then he does tyring to get around on all fours. His top right tooth is poking through, which explains all of his drool. He started shaking his head about a month ago and will do it if you shake your head at him first.

The other day I was feeding him applesauce that I had made. I asked him, "Do you like Mama's applesauce and he shook his head no" I thought it was hilarious. We recently placed him in the big tub for his bath and he loves it! He splashes his hands in the water with his mouth wide open and then sprays himself in the face and laughs. It is pretty darn funny. We signed him up for eight weeks of swim lessons, which start next Tuesday. We are excited to see him in the water.

He is sleeping and napping really well. We put him down at 6:00 for bed and he sleeps until 6:00 the next morning. He usually takes two pretty good naps during the day.

We are working on clapping and sign language and he is getting so close to picking those up too.

I just can't believe in four months he will already be a year old. Were does the time go?

Teething?

Actually, I am not sure if this is part of Lucas' teething or if this was the first time he found his tongue! I had to post these because they are pretty funny. :) He did this about a month ago and I have not seen him do it since :(

Playing in the Sheets

Making the Bed...I don't think so: Remember as a little kid how fun it was to take all four corners of a sheet, throw it up and then run underneath it while trapping the air inside? Lucas was helping me make the bed and I was trapping him along with the air underneath the sheets. He loved it! I thought I would share our fun time making the bed.

7 Months

May 26th,

I just can't believe how fast time goes by. Lucas is already seven months old! We had our weight check up today and he is doing well. He weighed 16.12oz; he is just at the 25% for his age, which is getting better. Lucas started his blabble talk about a week ago and it is awesome! It is mostly Dada dada gaga gaga baba baba...we keep trying to practice Mama mama, but he just won't spit it out yet. :)

Last weekend Casey went rafting and Lucas and I were on the porch waving bye-bye to "Daddy". We came inside and Lucas said, "Dada" I am sure it was just a coincidence, but it was so perfect.

Deception Creek Hike

5.15.10

We decided to take Lucas on a little hike at Deception Creek. Ed took these pictures of Lucas sitting in the moss! We had a great time. We found the camping spot for the kiddos first overnight camping trip.

Mommy Needs a Bib Too!

I was fully warned that this would happen so I have been waiting for him to start spitting his food at me. Well, Lucas figured it out today. Here is a video of Lucas learning how to blow his lips together with food in his mouth so it sprays EVERYWHERE!!! Enjoy. I need to go wash our clothes, now.

Learning to Clap

Since Lucas was on the low end of the chart for weight, we have been trying to encourage him to eat his solid food. Every time he takes a bite of food, we clap and cheer for him. I am pretty sure this is Lucas' attempt at clapping after I have clapped. :) He has been eating his solid foods very well, but now he is not taking breast milk or formula. He should be getting 18-40 ounces of breast milk or formula and he is getting between 5 and 15 ounces. We go into see the doctor for a weight check on the 26th of this month. I was worried about a week ago, but I am feeling much better.

Happy 2nd Birthday Dodge

May 12, 2010:

Our little puppy is two years old already. It seems like just yesterday we were picking him up in Kirkland and riding home with him in the car. I sat in the back seat and he slept on my lap the whole way home. Dodge has been such a great family dog and since Lucas, he has been so protective of us. He absolutely loves Lucas. If Lucas wakes up from his nap crying and I am downstairs, Dodge will run upstairs to his room and then stand at the top of the stairs and wait to make sure I am coming to check on Lucas. Lately, Lucas wants to play with Dodge's bones and he will take it from Dodge and then Dodge takes it back...they do this for a while!

Happy Birthday Sweet Puppy!

Mother's Day Weekend...Continued Again

My Special Mother's Day with My Boys!

I woke with a sweet Mother's Day card lying by my bed in the morning. We got ready and took a beautiful drive to Snoqualmie Falls. I really wanted to hike down to the bottom to see the Falls. It was such a gorgeous day, we had a wonderful time together. I was a little disappointed that we could not get closer to the falls, but we still had a great time. It seems like the first time in a long time that just the three of us were able to hang out together. We headed home and Casey stopped off at a Nursery just outside of Monroe to pick up this beautiful fragrant Lilac tree. We planted it right outside of our front door. I took Dodge out this morning to go to the bathroom and right as I stepped outside, I could smell the yummy smell of my new tree. Ohh, and Lucas slept 11 hours in a row for me! :) Being a Mom is the greatest thing in the world, besides being a wife! Casey, Lucas, and Dodge, thank you for making my first Mother's Day so special. I love you so much!

Mother's Day Weekend...Continued

Mother's Day at the Hogle's After breakfast with the Hoffman's, Casey's Mom surprised me at Kohl's and took me shopping for Mother's day. I got some new shirts and shoes! She said there is only one "first Mother's Day" we had fun together, mostly we made fun of Casey :) We picked up some Jimmy John's and headed back to their house for a walk around the block in the new pack! Lucas had fun! Ed doesn't look enthused. ;) Happy Mother's Day, Andea! Thank you so much for taking me shopping and helping me in my transitioning phase of post pregnancy! :) I couldn't ask for a better Mother in Law!

A Memorable Mother's Day Weekend

Brunch with the Hoffman's:

We all met at the Pancake house in Kirkland. They have the BEST Pancakes...and I have to say that I will not eat Pancakes, that is probably one of the only foods that I do not care for. However, it was Lucas' first time in a restaurant and he did great! :) We then decided to go to the park and visit since it was gorgeous outside. What a wonderful Mother's Day to share with my Mom! Thank-you, Mom for always being there for me! I never realized how special being a Mom was until I had Lucas. I love you so much! Love, Kim

Happy Mother's Day

First Mother's Day with My Baby:

This is my first Mother's day and although I have only been a Mom for six and a half months, being a Mother is the absolute best job in the whole world. I never expected to feel the instant, deep, unconditional love that I feel for Lucas. He brings our lives so much joy. I am so entirely blessed that I get to stay home with my Son and watch him change every moment before my eyes. This video was taken about a month ago and I just love dancing with my baby.

It doesn't matter how many times a night I have to get up to make sure he is okay, every time I have to go into his room in the middle of the night, I get to give him one more kiss.

It doesn't matter how goofy I act, if I can make him laugh, I will act as silly as I possibly can. His laugh is the absolute best sound in the world to me.

It doesn't matter how many hours I spend with Lucas a day, when someone wants to hold him, I always immediately want him back. :)

I love the way he gets tired and rest his head on my shoulder. I love the way he smiles when I sing to him. I love the way he kicks his hands and feet when I go to get him up in the morning. I love the way he hits my face when I am feeding him. I love the way he laughs at stupid things I do. I love the way he looks at his daddy with the biggest smile on his face. I love the way he wants to sit on the floor next to Dodge. I love the way he loves to be outside. I love how shy he gets when he sees himself in the mirror and turns his head into my neck to hide. I love the way he hates being on his tummy and immediately rolls to his back with the biggest smile like "I did it". I love the way everyone says, "wow, he is such a serious baby," but I know how truly happy he is at home.

I love everything about you, sweet baby Lucas.

Love, Your Mama!

Sequim Adventures

April 30, 2010:

Ice Cream Anyone?

Looking for Gooey Ducks on the Beach

Happy with Great Grandma Dumpity
So windy on the Ferry ride

High Five'n with Grandpa GungaDancing on the Ferry with Grandma Andea